Video: Learn How To Order Beer (or Bloodwine) In Klingon

The guys at Gameforge have issued their second Learn to Speak Like a Klingon video as part of their promotion for the upcoming browser game Star Trek Infinite Space. For lesson #2 you can learn how to order (demand) a beer. Watch it below.

Video: How to order a beer (or blood wine) in Klingon

Now this is useful information to have for next time you are on the Quo’nos.

I think it’s great! Last weekend, I saw Trek In the Park–a bunch of Trek fans who expressed their love for the show by acting out an episode in front of a couple of hundred people. Is that any stranger than a guy speaking Kilngon in front of a camera? IMHO, heck no! It’s just another way for a fan to say, “I love this franchise.” Hats off to him…and to everyone who finds their own creative way to appreciate this terrific Star Trek phenomenon.

Well, Lieven actually already speaks four natural languages fluently and can converse with some difficulty in four others; what’s the big harm in him learning a single constructed language?

As for learning a language you can actually use: Define “use”.
I started studying Klingon before I even knew what a Klingon was (I thought it was those pointy-eared guys), and it’s what got me into Star Trek in the first place. I enjoy using Klingon because it is so very different from the natural languages I speak (I also dabble in Lojban and I’ve started studying Mandarin for that same reason), and using it forces me to reflect on what exactly it is I’m saying. Disagreements over expressions in Klingon can often lead to some very enjoyable discussions, and because a chief concern is often linguistic universals, a wide variety of natural languages are often referenced.

…but in the end, it doesn’t really matter; what matters is that it’s a harmless hobby. Personally, I like writing a line or two in Klingon every day as a form of stress relief. I’ve also met a lot of interesting people through “klingonism” (mostly on the internet, but also a few in real life), and it also tends to be a fun topic of discussion with my non-klingonist friends.

Maybe one could learn how to order a bowl of pretzels in Romulan?
I’m all for imaginary languages, but with whatever time I’ve got left in the world? I’d rather spend my time learning a language I might actually use someday. Learning Klingon may be fun for a weekend or so, but seriously? Brain space is finite. You don’t want too waste too much time/energy on this. One would be better advised to take up French, Italian, German, Chinese or hell, even good ol’ Spanish. Could come in handy someday….

I enjoy building model kits, though some consider that a useless and unproductive hobby. It’s not a skill that has much practical application in the outside world but I enjoy it. Therefore it’s not a waste of time. Or if it is, it’s a waste of *my* time and nobody is harmed by it. The same can be said about our Klingon-speaking friends, can’t it?

@21: I can certainly understand that not everybody would choose for themselves to learn Klingon, but I’m always a bit surprised by the argument that it’s somehow a waste of time; I always wonder how people who make this argument reason around their own watching Star Trek, or reading articles on Trekmovie.com.Surely, that time would be better sent studying current events or economics? I also know people who watch an hour of TV every day, or who go to the movies 2-3 times a month; I personally don’t know how they find the time to do so. With regards to a skill being useful: I’ve spent a LOT more time studying French than I have done studying Klingon, and yet in spite of having been in France three times, I dare say I’ve used my Klingon a lot more than I’ve used my French, simply because Klingon is something I enjoy using during my breaks, whereas French is not. The reason I’ve learned Klingon in my spare time rather than German, Italian and Chinese (well, I’m actually planning to study either Italian or Mandarin starting in January of next year, but that’s beside the point) is for the same reason that I’m guessing @22 Rocket Scientist uses his time building model kits: I think it’s fun. When I get home from work, or when I’m on my coffee break, I seldom have the will or energy to pick up an Italian coursebook. I know there are probably others out there… Read more »